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Chances are, if you’ve spent any time near a body of water, you have seen an Osprey. Aptly nicknamed fish hawks, the birds hunt along coastlines, rivers, and lakes throughout the hemisphere and the world. But have you ever really seen an Osprey? 

Mark Smith’s arresting cover photo captures the raptor in spectacular detail, revealing how fine-tuned it is to its aquatic lifestyle. Smith was standing on a Florida pier as a school of menhaden swam in with the tide, and this Osprey, passing through on its southbound migration, was laser focused on the opportunity at hand. It dove within 30 feet of Smith and hit its mark. “For a bird with a thousand miles still ahead,” says Smith, “that fish was everything.” 

Bryan Watts would agree. He has also closely observed Ospreys; his work as a biologist takes him from nest to nest in the Chesapeake Bay, where he peers into the birds’ elevated abodes using a mirror mounted on a long pole. The photo of an Osprey feeding its chick in David Gessner’s feature piece is one that he took, and there’s a story behind that, too. Just out of frame is a second chick, much smaller in size, and long gone from the picture, a third chick that had died from starvation. These Ospreys were part of a study examining how essential menhaden are to fueling the birds’ successful reproduction. (Spoiler alert: very.) 

Elsewhere in this issue, others are similarly paying close attention to gain new perspectives on birdlife. Elizabeth Preston, for example, considers crows through the eyes of those who’ve connected with them in order to probe an enduring question: Are these birds really our friends? And community scientists across the country have turned out to watch where birds go in a changing climate, helping to reveal how they may adapt to it.  

Researchers are also finding new ways to tune in. Esteban Valdivia plays ancient instruments to experience birdsong through the ears of Indigenous cultures. And by pairing audio recorders with artificial intelligence, scientists can now not only quickly identify what species are using a habitat but also use that data to more effectively protect them. 

As environmental challenges mount, such stories illustrate that we will need to use all of our powers of observation—and all of the tools at our disposal—to better understand birds and what they are telling us. That is our opportunity, if we choose to laser in. 

This piece originally ran in the Summer 2026 issue. To receive our print magazine, become a member by .